Lee Jacobi, Known As `Gup,' Was Self-Made Businessman

Lee Jacobi was a chief executive officer and a civic leader, but his greatest joy may have come from living just a block from four of his grandchildren.

The nickname one of them gave him - "Gup," for Grandpa - stuck, even with adults who had known Mr. Jacobi as the chief executive of Cole & Weber advertising.

Mr. Jacobi died at his Windermere home Thursday after a long battle with cancer. He was 80.

Mr. Jacobi was "a self-made man," said his wife, Margery Schaller Jacobi. He worked his way from an early job at a creamery in the Pike Place Market to the top post at Cole & Weber.

Mr. Jacobi worked at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer after college, then became public-relations director at the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and director of visual training at Todd Pacific Shipyards.

He joined Cole & Weber in 1948 as an account executive and became chief executive officer in 1967.

After retiring 10 years ago, Mr. Jacobi indulged his passion for travel by seeing the world, his wife said.

His son John, now president of Windermere Real Estate, described Mr. Jacobi as "a hard-nosed businessman" who took to the management rather than the creative side of advertising.

Ron Elgin, who later founded the advertising and public-relations firm Elgin Syferd/DDB Needham, called Mr. Jacobi his most important mentor, "an inspiration" as a no-nonsense manager.

"He taught me the value and appreciation for a buck," Elgin said.

In his personal life, Mr. Jacobi communicated in his own good-humored language of jingles, sayings and nicknames, family members said.

"He always managed to pull out some funny little limerick or rhyme or quote," said Mrs. Jacobi."

Born in San Francisco, Mr. Jacobi moved to Seattle with his family and graduated from Queen Anne High School. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1936 with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

He also played football at the university and remained an ardent Husky fan throughout his life, his wife said. Mr. Jacobi was an active UW alumnus, serving for two years as president of the Sigma Nu Fraternity Alumni Association.

His "spare" time was stacked with commitments to boards, committees, councils and clubs.

He was a member of the National Educators' Committee, Citizen's Committee to Reform Courts and the Committee to Reorganize State Government.

He was a board member of the United Way and the Seattle-King County Visitors' Bureau, served as public-relations chairman for the Washington Artificial Kidney Center and was chairman of the Seattle Community Publicity Council.

He was president of the Sand Point Community Club, secretary of the Evergreen Playground Association and a Little League coach.

Mr. Jacobi was preceded in death by two wives, Joie and Doris.

Besides his wife and son, Mr. Jacobi is survived by a daughter, Joanne Swanson, of North King County; six grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.

No services are planned for Mr. Jacobi. The family asked that remembrances be directed to Swedish Medical Center/Home Health and Hospice.